The Cursed Child, not a play
by EliasStormcrow
Summary: This is the Cursed Child the way I envisioned it. Though a lot has been added and some things have been left out, it still follows the original storyline, following Albus and Scorpius on their quest through time.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter one**

Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first of September was crisp and golden as an apple, and as the little family bobbed across the rumbling road towards the great, sooty station, the fumes of car exhausts and the breath of pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs in the cold air. Two large cages rattled on top of the laden trolleys the parents were pushing; the owls inside them hooted indignantly, and the red-headed girl trailed tearfully behind her brothers, clutching her father's arm.

'It won't be long, and you'll be going too,' Harry told her.

'Two years,' sniffed Lily. 'I want to go _now_!'

The commuters stared curiously at the owls as the family wove its way towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Albus's voice drifted back to Harry over the surrounding clamour; his sons had resumed the argument they had started in the car.

'I _won't_! I _won't_ be in Slytherin!'

'James, give it a rest!' said Ginny.

'I only said he _might_ be,' said James, grinning at his younger brother. 'There's nothing wrong with that. He _might_ be in Slyth—'

But James caught his mother's eye and fell silent. The five Potters approached the barrier. With a slightly cocky look over his shoulder at his younger brother, James took the trolley from his mother and broke into a run. A moment later, he had vanished.

'You'll write to me, won't you?' Albus asked his parents immediately, capitalizing on the momentary absence of his brother.

'Every day, if you want us to,' said Ginny.

'Not _every_ day,' said Albus quickly. 'James says most people only get letters from home about once a month.'

'We wrote to James three times a week last year,' said Ginny.

'And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts,' Harry put in. 'He likes a laugh, your brother.'

Side by side, they pushed the second trolley forwards, gathering speed. As they reached the barrier, Albus winced, but no collision came. Instead, the family emerged on to platform nine and three-quarters, which was obscured by thick, white steam that was pouring from the scarlet Hogwarts Express. Indistinct figures were swarming through the mist, into which James had already disappeared.

'Where are they?' asked Albus anxiously, peering at the hazy forms they passed as they made their way down the platform.

'We'll find them,' said Ginny reassuringly.

But the vapor was dense, and it was difficult to make out anybody's faces. Detached from their owners, voices sounded unnaturally loud. Harry thought he heard Percy discoursing loudly on broomstick regulations, and was quite glad of the excuse not to stop and say hello…

'I think that's them, Al,' said Ginny suddenly.

A group of four people emerged from the mist, standing alongside the very last carriage. Their faces only came into focus when Harry, Ginny, Lily and Albus had drawn right up to them.

'Hi,' said Albus, sounding immensely relieved.

Rose, who was already wearing her brand new Hogwarts robes, beamed at him.

'Parked all right, then?' Ron asked Harry. 'I did. Hermione didn't believe I could pass a Muggle driving test, did you? She thought I'd have to Confund the examiner.'

'No I didn't,' said Hermione. 'I had complete faith in you.'

'As a matter of fact, I _did_ Confund him,' Ron whispered to Harry, as together they lifted Albus's trunk and owl on to the train. 'I only forgot to look in the wing mirrow, and let's face it, I can use Supersensory Charm for that.'

Back on the platform, they found Lily and Hugo, Rose's younger brother, having an animated discussion about which house they would be sorted into when they finally went to Hogwarts.

'If you're not in Griffindor, we'll disinherit you,' said Ron, 'but no pressure.'

" _Ron_!'

Lily and Hugo laughed, but Albus and Rose looked solemn.

'He doesn't mean it,' said Hermione and Ginny, but Ron was no longer paying attention. Catching Harry's eye, he nodded covertly to a point some fifty yards away. The steam had thinned for a moment, and three people stood in sharp relief against the shifting mist.

'Look who it is.'

Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry. Draco caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly and turned away again.

'So that's little Scorpius,' said Ron under his breath. 'Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains.'

'Ron, for heaven's sake,' said Hermione, half stern, half amused. 'Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!'

'You're right, sorry,' said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, 'don't get _too_ friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood.'

'Hey!'

James had reappeared; he had divested himself of his trunk, owl and trolley, and was evidently bursting with news.

'Teddy's back there,' he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. 'Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? _Snogging Victoire!_ '

He gazed up at the adults, evidently disappointed by the lack of reaction.

' _Our_ Teddy! _Teddy Lupin!_ Snogging _our_ Victoire! _Our_ cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing –'

'You interrupted them?' said Ginny. 'You are _so_ like Ron –'

'—and he said he'd come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's _snogging_ her!' James added, as though worried he had not made himself clear.

'Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!' whispered Lily ecstatically. 'Teddy would _really_ be part of the family then!'

'He already comes round for dinner about four times a week,' said Harry. 'Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?'

'Yeah!' said James enthusiastically. 'I don't mind sharing with Al – Teddy could have my room!'

'No,' said Harry firmly, 'you had Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished.'

He checked the battered, old watch that had once been Fabians Prewett's.

'It's near eleven, you'd better get on board.

'Don't forget to give Neville our love!' Ginny told James as she hugged him.

'Mum, I can't give a Professor _love_!'

'But you _know_ Neville –'

James rolled his eyes.

'Outside, yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he? I can't walk into Herbology and give him _love_ …'

Shaking his head at his mother's foolishness, he vented his feelings by aiming a kick at Albus.

'See you later, Al. Watch out for Thestrals.'

'I thought they were invisible? _You said they were invisible!'_

But James merely laughed, permitted his mother to kiss him, gave his father a fleeting hug, then leapt on to the rapidly filling train. They saw him wave, then sprint away up the corridor to find his friends.

'Thestrals are nothing to worry about,' Harry told Albus. 'They're gentle things, there's nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won't be going up to school in carriages, you'll be going in the boats.'

Ginny kissed Albus goodbye.

'See you at Christmas.'

'Byw, Al,' said Harry, as his son hugged him. 'Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone 'til you've learned how. And don't let James wind you up.'

'What if I'm in Slytherin?'

The whisper was for his father alone, and Harry knew that only the moment of departure could have forced Albus to reveal how great and sincere that fear was.

Harry crouched down so that Albus's face was slightly above his own. Alone of Harry's three children, Albus had inherited Lily's eyes.

'Albus Severus,' said Harry quietly, so that nobody but Ginny could hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving Rose, who was now on the train, 'you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.

'But just _say_ —'

'—then Slytherin house will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al. but if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account.'

'Really?'

'It did for me,' said Harry.

He had never told any of his children that before, and he saw the wonder in Albus's face when he said it. But now the doors were slamming all along the scarlet train, and the blurred outlines of parents were swarming forwards for final kisses, last-minute reminders. Albus jumped into the carriage and Ginny closed the door behind him. Students were hanging from the windows nearest them. A great number of faces, both on the train and off, seemed to be turned towards Harry.

'Why are they all _staring_?' demanded Albus, as he and Rose craned round to look at the other students.

'Don't let it worry you,' said Ron. 'It's me. I'm extremely famous.'

Albus, Rose, Hugo and Lily laughed. The train began to move, and Harry walked alongside it, watching his son's thin face, already ablaze with excitement. Harry kept smiling, and waving, even though it was like a little bereavement, watching his son glide away from him…

The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air. The train rounded a corner. Harry's hand was still raised in farewell.

'He'll be all right,' murmured Ginny.

As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absent-mindedly and touched the lightning scar on his forehead.

'I know he will.'

The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years.

All was well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

Albus and Rose were hanging out the window for some time, even after they lost sight of their parents. Sighing, Albus stepped back into the corridor.

'So,' he said, 'now what?'

'Now we need to find some friends,' said Rose. 'My mum and dad met your dad on their first Hogwarts Express, you know.'

'So we need to choose now who to be friends with for life? That's quite scary.'

'Not at all,' said Rose, 'it's exciting! I'm a Granger-Weasley, you're a Potter. Everyone will want to be friends with us, we've got the pick of anyone we want.'

'I'm not sure it works that way,' Albus sighed. 'How about we just decide on a compartment to go in? See who's in it?'

'We should check all of them,' Rose decided, 'and then rate them all.'

Albus opened the first compartment he encountered and opened it. There was a single boy in it, looking up at the unexpected visitors.

'Hi,' said Albus to the boy. 'Is this compartment—'

'It's free,' the boy answered, 'just me.'

'Great. Would it be okay if we just, come in, for a bit?'

'Sure.'

'I'm Albus.'

'Scorpius. And you must be…' he looked at Rose.

Rose's face had been growing cold during the short conversation. 'Rose,' she answered curtly.

'Hi Rose, would you like some Fizzing Whisbees? I've got plenty.'

'No, I've just had breakfast, thanks,' she said in a cold voice.

'I've also got some Shock-o-Choc, Pepper Imps and some Jelly Slugs. Mum's idea. She says: "Sweets, they always help you make friends." He looked at Rose's face. 'Stupid idea, probably.'

'I'll have some,' Albus said. 'Mum won't let me have sweets. She says it could make your teeth rot and such. Which one would you start with?'

Rose hit Albus while Scorpius was rummaging through the sweets.

'Easy. I've always regarded the Pepper Imp as the king of the confectionery bag. They're peppermint sweets that make you smoke at the ears.' Scorpius held up the sweet triumphantically.

'Brilliant,' said Albus, taking the sweet from Scorpius, 'then that's what I'll—'

Again, Rose hit him in the back.

'Rose, will you please stop hitting me?'

'I'm not hitting you,' she responded sweetly.

'You _are_ hitting me, and it hurts!'

'She's hitting you because of me,' Scorpius said quietly.

Turning towards the blonde boy, Albus stared at him for a moment. 'What? Why?'

'Listen, I know who you are, so it's probably only fair you know who I am.'

'What do you mean, you know who I am?'

'You're Albus Potter, son of Harry Potter. She's Rose Granger-Weasley, her parents are Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley. My parents are Astoria and Draco Malfoy. Our parents… they didn't get along.'

'That's putting it mildly,' huffed Rose. 'Your mother and father are Death Eaters!'

'Dad was,' admitted Scorpius, 'but my mother wasn't.'

Rose turned up her nose at him and looked away.

'I know about the rumors too, you know,' Scorpius continued, his voice gaining volume. 'That my parents couldn't have children. That my father and grandfather were so desperate for a powerful heir, so intent to prevent the end of the Malfoy line that they… That they used a Time-Turner to send my mother back…' his voice trailed off.

'To send her back where?' Albus asked quietly.

'The rumor is that he's Voldemort's son,' said Rose.

An uncomfortable silence followed her statement. Scorpius looked down, his ears slightly read, hands clasped together. Albus looked at him, thinking hard.

'You can't be his son,' Albus said decidedly. 'Look at you! You've got a nose!'

Scorpius laughed at this, even though it sounded a bit forced.

'And it even looks like my father's! I got his nose, his hair and his name. Not that that's a great thing. I mean… father-son issues. Never mind. But on the whole, I'd rather be a Malfoy than, you know, the Dark Lords…'

Scorpius and Albus look each other in the eye, an understanding passing between them.

'Yeah, well, we'll just continue on,' said Rose. 'Come on Albus.'

She started to pull him away by the arm, but Albus shook her off.

'No, I'll stay here. You go on.'

Rose raised her eyebrows, looking slightly startled at this. 'Ablus, I won't wait.'

'I'm not expecting you to.'

'Fine!'

Rose stormed away, slamming the door of the compartment shut. Albus winced slightly at the sound. He turned to look at Scorpius, unsure of what to do or say.

'Thanks,' the blonde boy said.

'What. No! no need. I didn't stay for you, I stayed for the sweets,' Albus said, gesturing towards the small pile with a bit of a crooked smile.

'She's quite fierce,' Scorpius said while staring at the closed compartment door.

'Yeah, sorry.'

'No, I like it. Do you prefer Albus or Al?' said Scorpius suddenly, obviously changing the subject.

'Albus.'

Scorpius grinned as he popped two sweets into his mouth.

'Thank you for staying for my sweets, Albus,' he said, while steam started coming out of his ears. Albus couldn't help but laugh at the sight and grabbed a sweet himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

'First years. First years to me!' a huge voice boomed over the crowd of children. 'Hullo Albus, been ahwhile, hasn't it?'

Albus grinned up at the overly large, bearded man. 'Hi Hagrid'.

'So, yer first year. Big stuff! Anyways, get over there with the rest of 'em, towards the lake. Go on, we'll talk later!'

Albus and Scorpius walked towards the lake side by side. Somewhere ahead of them, Ablus spotted Rose who, at that moment, looked back at them. She shook her head and resumed speaking to two other girls. Glancing around, Albus just managed to glimpse James sauntering off in the other direction, towards the carriages. He seemed to be the center of attention, as usual. Somehow, watching his family members being so in their element, made Albus feel uncomfortable. This was only amplified by all the people staring at him. At _them_ , probably. A Potter and a Malfoy.

Glancing at his companion, he noticed that Scorpius was keeping his head down.

Once they arrived at the boats they chose the one that was the furthest away, keeping the vessel to themselves. They stayed silent, trying to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. The boats rocked slightly as they magically started to drift towards the castle.

Albus hugged his cloak around him. The wind had picked up a bit and it was quite chilly on the lake.

After a short while, they heard students ahead of them gasp as the castle came into view. Finally, the two raised their heads, and even Albus couldn't quite suppress a small gasp of wonder. He had read and heard about the castle, but to see it, was quite another story. The tall walls and towers rose up into the night, fading out of view into the darkness. Countless lights shone out of the windows, glittering upon the lake.

'Amazing,' whispered Scorpius, his mouth hanging open. It was a rather comical sight.

The boats gently bumped against the shore and the students stepped, stumbled and tumbled onto dry land. They were then herded towards the castle doors by Hagrid, who had to prevent some students from running ahead, and some from lagging behind. Finally having managed to get them all up the steps, the doors opened to reveal a thin faced, mean looking man.

'You take longer each year, Hagrid!' he snarled.

'Well, got to give em a good look of the place, eh, Filch!', Hagrid laughed. Filch glared at them, and then turned his attention to the students, some of which flinched.

'Well then, come on! Get in, no going off, stay in line, two by two.'

After some shuffling, they followed Argus Filch into the castle, staying two by two obediently. Albus and Scorpius brought up the rear. They were led past the great doors leading to the Great Hall where a lot of noise was coming from and ushered into a small room close by.

As the room was slammed close by the caretaker the students started whispering.

'We have to stand in front of all those people, I think I'll faint!'

'Why can't we go into the big hall, to all the other students? Why do we have to stay here?'

'I heard we have to be tested first, see if we're really magical.'

Albus had, of course, heard all kind of rumors from James. He said the sorting was different each year. Some years you had to perform a certain spell, at other times you would have to try to pick the leaves of a Bowtruckly, or fight an Erkling. During those talks however, Teddy always rolled his eyes and told Albus and Lily not to worry about it, though he refused to tell them what the sorting was actually like.

But there were other whispers too.

'Albus Potter'

'A Potter. In our year!'

'He's got his hair. He's got hair just like him.'

'And he's my cousin,' said Rose, stepping closer to Albus. _Now_ she was suddenly family.

'Rose Granger-Weasly,' she said to the crowd who now were looking at her curiously. 'Nice to meet you.'

Before she could say anything else however, there was a loud scream. Turning towards the sound, there came more screams and gasps as suddenly, the place was swarming with ghosts. It took a while for them to notice the children standing huddled together.

'Ah, a new year already,' said the ghost of an elderly man in a nightgown.

'Looking forward to the sorting dears?' said another ghost of a friendly looking woman. Though the sight was somewhat ruined by the large hole in her stomach.

Before the students could reply however, the door was thrown open again and Filch motioned them out. Once more they were ordered to walk in pairs as they marched upon the Great Hall.

As the first years were ushered along, the noise in the Great Hall subsided. Every face was turned towards the new generation of witches and wizards. A stool was placed before them with a very old looking hat on it. Everyone in the Hall was looking at intently, so Albus focused his attention on it as well. For a moment, there was perfect silence, then the hat began to sing, revealing a rip near the brim, like a mouth:

 _'I've done this job for centuries_

 _On every studen't head I've sat_

 _Of thoughts I take inventories_

 _For I'm the famous Sorting Hat_

 _I've sorted high, I've sorted low_

 _I've done the job through thick and thin_

 _So put me on and you will know_

 _Which house you should be in'_

There was a great clapping at the end of the song, as the hat bowed to the audience. Relief flowed through Albus, realizing he only had to put on the hat.

Silence descended once more as Professor McGonagall took out a scroll and read out the first name.

'Chapman, Polly!'

A girl with dark hair stepped forward and sat on the stool. The hat was placed on her head and after some thinking it shouted: 'GRIFFINDOR!'

The girl sprang up, grinning broadly as the Griffindor table burst out in applause.

The sorting continued, with some children, the hat hardly touched the heads before it shouted out the house, with some it took a bit longer.

'Granger-Weasly, Rose!'

Rose stepped forward excitingly and the hat had no problem with her: 'GRIFFINDOR!'

Again the Griffindor table burst out in applause and cheers, louder than before. James was the loudest of all shouting 'We've got Granger-Weasly, we've got Granger Weasly!'

After some more sortings, Professor McGonagall finally arrived at: 'Malfoy, Scorpius!'

The hall became quiet again as Scorpius sat down, looking very pale. This time, the hat took it's time and after about a minute finally shouted 'SLYTHERIN!'

Pulling off the hat, Scorpius nods and half smiles, obviously having expected this result. He joined the Slytherin table and glanced into Albus's direction. Albus nodded to him, forcing a smile.

At last 'Potter, Ablus!' was called and he sat down on the stool. He gripped the edge hard, hoping that nobody would notice his shaking hands.

As the hat was but on his head, he was startled to hear a small voice, close to his ear.

'Ah, another Potter. Let's see, yes, plenty of courage there, and quite some ambition too. But also compassionate and intelligent too, if you were to work hard. Hmm, were to put you.'

He looked at the Griffindor table. James was looking at him, expectantly. Rose was grinning at him. Both convinced that their brother and cousin would join them. Remembering his father's words, Albus was starting to form the thought Gryfindor, but before he had the chance, the hat murmured, 'Ah, yes, pretty clear now. SLYTHERIN!'

For a moment, Albus remained sitting on the stool, while the hat was lifted from his head. For a moment, there was a perfect, profound silence. Then the whispers started again.

'Slytherin?'

'Did you just hear that?'

'A Potter? In Slytherin?'

Not daring to look at his family members, Ablus slipped off the stool and silently joined the Slytherin table where a few people were clapping. Only Scorpius seemed to be ignoring the discomfort and motioned to Albus to sit next to him.

As he sat down he finally glanced towards the Griffindor table. His brother looked absolutely stunned and it looked like he was going to become angry soon. Rose was staring at him, her mouth open, slightly shaking her head in disbelieve.

The last students were placed in their respective houses, but Albus didn't listen. How was he going to tell his parents? How would they react? There was an unpleasant knot in the pit of his stomach and as the tables were magically filled with food, he found he had lost his appetite.

The boy seated opposite him, nudged him, forcing Albus to look up.

'Hi, I'm Craig Bowker. Welcome in Slytherin! No need to look so down, I'm sure you'll find your way around soon enough.' He smiled encouragingly.

Albus forced a smile and nodded at him and quickly grabbed some chicken just to stay busy. On his left, Scorpius was babbling, desperately trying to fill in the silence.

'I've heard the ghost of Slytherin is the Bloody Baron, who's quite scary. But he's apparently the only one who can control Peeves. That would be the Hogwarts poltergeist. Though he doesn't come around our dorm, I've heard. Which is in the dungeons. Dad told me it's under the lake and that you can see the Giant Squid and Merpeople sometimes!'

Albus hardly listened as he forced some food down his throat. He was almost relieved when Professor McGonagall stood up again and silence fell once more.

'A few notices before you all go to your dorms. The Forbidden Forest is forbidden ground for all students, hence the name. No magic is allowed in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the third week of term.' This last notice received some yells and whistles, in which James was actively part. McGonagall smiled as she continued: 'That will be all for tonight. Make sure to go towards your classes on time, the stairs change position frequently and it's easy to get lost. Now, follow your Prefects towards your dorms. Goodnight!'

A few people lazily applauded the Headmistress as the Prefects rose and started herding the students of their houses towards the doors. Albus followed the line of Slytherins. They went right directly after leaving the Great Hall and zigzagged their way through several hallways, down a number and down some corridors. Eventually they stopped in front of a wall. The Prefect shouted over their heads: 'You will need a password to enter the dormitory! It changes every fortnight and the new password will be posted on the noticeboard. Make sure to read this, or you won't be able to enter. The current password is "Giant Squid".' The moment he said it, the wall swung open silently to reveal s dungeon-like room with greenish lamps and comfortable chairs. A big fire was roaring in the hearth and the windows looked dark, but Albus could still see that they all showed water. So they were indeed under the lake.

'Your dorms are over there, on the left,' the Prefect said. 'Door on the right is for the boys, left is for the girls. Don't forget to be at breakfast on time, you will get your timetables at that point. Your stuff has already been brought up for you, so you can all go straight to sleep. Goodnight!'

The Prefect walked off as the first years entered their dormitory's. Albus had heard about the Griffindor dorm from James plenty of times, all in gold and red, looking splendid and luxurious. Though the Slytherin dorm still looked splendid and luxurious in its own way, all in silver and green, it looked very gothic and dark. It made Albus feel even more gloomy.

He was slightly relieved to find that his bed was next to Scorpius's, who was looking at him anxiously.

'You know, it's not _that_ bad to be in Slytherin, right?' said Scorpius softly.

'I don't know,' Albus replied tiredly. 'I just don't know anymore.'

They didn't say anything else as they changed into their pajamas and got into bed. Albus lay awake for some time, still feeling the knot in his stomach. Eventually he managed to fall into an uneasy sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four**

The first week did not go well. Everywhere that Albus went there were hushed whispers and he was stared at wherever he was, whatever he was doing. He tried to keep his head down and ignore them, but every comment stung. The worst lesson of all was the flying lesson. Albus had already been dreading it, as he had never even gotten the hang of the toy brooms at home, and it turned out to be dreadful indeed.

They had the lesson on Thursday, together with Griffindor. Scorpius was trying to cheer him up as usual, but Albus didn't even hear him. They were the last to arrive and stayed to the side of the two groups of students.

'You weren't the only one that couldn't get the feather up, Albus,' said Scorpius, referring to the Charms class they just came from. 'And at least yours didn't catch fire!'

Albus had to smile at that one. Yann Fredericks had not just set fire to one feather, he destroyed three, before Professor McGonagall decided to put a charm on the feather to make it fire resistant.

At that moment, Albus was distracted by a woman that stormed towards the center of students.

'Well, what are you all waiting for?' she yelled. 'Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up.'

Suddenly realizing that this had to be Madam Hooch, they all hurried to one of the brooms. Some pushing and shoving was required, but before long, everyone had one.

'Stick out your hand over your broom and say "up",' Madam Hooch continued.

They all followed her instructions with various results. The brooms of Rose and Yann sprang into their hands at their command and they grinned at the rest of them. Most of the brooms however, just rolled or trembled. Albus stared at his, the only one to fail at making his broom even twitch.

'Up!' he yelled, together with the others, apart from Rose and Yann. ' _Up!_ '. Nothing. He stared at the wooden object in anger. Everyone had now succeeded and was watching Albus struggle. More than a few were giggling. Albus could feel his cheeks warm up with the humiliation and frustration. As the class was distracted by the next instructions, Albus quickly snatched the broom off the ground.

'Albus Potter, the Slytherin Squib,' chuckled Karl Jenkins.

'He really isn't like his father at all, is he?' added Polly.

'Okay children, time to fly!' said Madam Hooch.

Albus was glad when Friday evening arrived. So far, his lessons had all concluded in failures. His potions blew up, his charms failed to work and his broom had barely lifted him off the ground. Though at the moment, he was glad to be hurrying over the grounds, away from the castle, and towards Hagrid's hut. Scorpius had decided to stay in the castle, saying he had to finish his homework, but Albus suspected that he wanted to give him the opportunity to visit Hagrid alone. He felt grateful for it. Though they only knew each other a week, Scorpius was very sensitive to his moods.

As Albus started knocking, he was surprised when the door flew open at his first tap.

'Albus!' Hagrid yelled as he pulled him into a bone crushing hug. 'I though ye didn't know where I lived! Good to see yah. Welcome to me home!'

Albus was ushered inside the cottage. He had heard about it from his father and although it was rebuilt, it looked the same as the description. Fang, the great boarhound, limped towards him. He was getting on in years, but his drooling lived up to the stories. As the dog put his huge head on Albus' lap, drool started to poor over his hands in no time at all.

'Here, have some tea,' said Hagrid, as he carefully placed a cup in front of Albus. He was surprised to see it was a regular side.

Following Albus' gaze, Hagrid said: 'Gift o' Hermoine, that was. She figured I needed summing respectable for guests.'

Albus smiled at that. He could imagine the indignation of his aunt as she was forced to drink out of a tankard.

'Well? How was yer first week?' asked Hagrid.

Albus' smile dropped. He looked at Fangs head, still resting in his lap.

'It's horrible,' he said softly. 'Everyone compares me to my dad and I just can't do it. I'm not like him!' He shouted the last line as he looked up, forcing back tears.

'Of course yer not like Harry,' said Hagrid soothingly. 'Yer you, don' let them others decide who you should be.'

Ablus picked up the flower decorated teacup, sipping at his tea. He contemplated Hagrid's words for a moment. 'It's easier said than done though,' he said. 'I can't even get a simple spell right. Rose is making everything look easy, and I doubt James had any trouble.'

'I'm not too sure about that last bit,' Hagrid said, grinning. 'I remember yer brother sittin' here cyrin' cuz his potion gave him warts. Didn't dare going to the hospital wing, 'fraid they'd laugh.'

Albus nearly spit out his tea at this, staring at the half giant in disbelieve.

'Don't believe everythin' yer brother tells you, Ablus,' he continued, 'he likes a bit o' drama he does. And he doesn't like looking bad.'

When Albus walked back towards the castle that evening, he felt a lot better. He even felt like he could eat a proper meal for the first time in the week and when he entered the Great Hall, he was glad to see Scorpius sitting there already. As he planted himself next to his friend, he grabbed a piece of chicken and started to wolf it down. Scorpius was looking at him in surprise.

'Had a good time at Hagrid's place, I presume?' he said.

'Was good seeing him again,' Albus answered in between bites.

Scorpius smiled and went back to his own meal.

Ablus' good mood didn't last long however. Classes started to become more difficult as the year progressed and he had a hard time keeping track of everything. If he didn't have Scorpius to help him, he'd have failed several classes at least a dozen times. Magic just didn't seem to come to him as easily as it did to all the others. The term "Slytherin Squib" was used frequently now. He even heard James use it once. Not even Hagrid's pep talks could cheer him up anymore. The only class where he wasn't behind was Herbology, and only because he got a lot of help from Professor Longbottom who took pity on him. More than once the old family friend tried to talk to Albus, trying to cheer him up, telling him that things would work out in the end, but Albus couldn't bring himself to trust the kind Professor. He was afraid that the things he said would find a way back to his parents.

And there was the other issue: his parents. He still got regular owls, but their letters were pretty much always the same: 'I hope you're doing alright, why won't you write to us more regularly, it doesn't matter in what house you are, we are so proud of you' and so on. But Albus knew they were disappointed in him, in his grades, in his performances, in his house. And so, when Christmas came around, he wasn't sure what to do. He was torn between wanting to leave the castle and not wanting to go home. In the end, what decided it for him, was the fact that Scorpius was going home. Albus didn't like the idea of staying in the castle without him, so in the end, he was sitting in the train, back towards King's Cross Station.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five**

Albus and Scorpius had a compartment to themselves once more. It seemed that all the other children steered well clear of the two. Albus was grateful for that, he preferred it this way.

'So,' he said to his friend, 'what will your Christmas be like?'

Scorpius frowned and shrugged. 'We don't do much usually, just dinner. Mom isn't well, so there's not much we can do.'

'What's wrong with your mother?'

Scorpius just looked away and shook his head. Albus decided not to push it.

'So what about you?' Scorpius asked.

This time it was Albus who shrugged. 'I believe we are going to the Burrow, so it's going to be chaos.' He had told Scorpius before about the Burrow and the Weasleys. 'I guess it will be the opposite from your place, but I can't say I'm looking forward to it. Especially meeting my parents again.' He could imagine their disapproval.

Scorpius nodded. 'We don't have it easy,' he said with a weak smile.

In the end, Christmas wasn't as bad as Albus had imagined. Though he felt awkward around his parents and siblings, Teddy and George made up for that. Teddy amused them all by changing his hair color every five minutes and George managed to sneak several items of the joke shop into the Christmas dinner. The main spectacle was the Christmas turkey suddenly standing up and walking away. This caused George to be wacked over the head by both his wife and mother. Albus however suspected that it was his other red headed uncle Ron had placed it on the table, especially when, at the time his brother was lectured, he dropped his spoon when he seemingly couldn't hide his laughing anymore. It was the expected chaos and during everything Albus actually managed to relax a bit.

Once back on the platform Albus said a hasty goodbye to his parents and ran back to the train. He wasn't looking forward to going back, but the alternative, lingering at his parents side, was worse. Even though both his parents had been supportive during the holiday, he could see they weren't comfortable around him. Albus sighed with relief when he spotted Scorpius sitting in a compartment alone. He slipped in and closed the door. Scorpius looked up and cracked a smile.

'Hey.'

'Hey.'

A moment of silence.

They started the same question at the same time: 'How was your Christmas?' Bursting out laughing, Albus waved at Scorpius to answer first.

'It was as expected,' he said. 'My grandparents were there as well. It wasn't exactly the Christmas cheer you might find in stories. How about you?'

'It was a bit better than expected actually. There wasn't a lot of talk about school and the chaos ensured that I could slip away when I wanted to.'

'Family is hard,' sighed Scorpius.

'You said it.'


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six**

The rest of the year crawled by. Albus constantly felt like he was drowning in essays, tests and other homework. If Scorpius hadn't been there, he was sure he wouldn't have passed into the second year. And yet, here he was, on platform nine and three-quarters, standing next to his father. The air around them was tense.

'I'm just asking you, dad, if you could just,' Albus hesitated for a moment, then drew a deep breath,' if you could just stand a little away from me,' he finished, not daring to look at his father.

'Second years don't like to be seen with their dads, is that it?' his father asked, sounding amused. Albus looked at a wizard who was staring at them.

'It's not that. It's just, you're _you_ and, well, I'm me and-'

'It's just people looking,' Harry interrupted Ablus. 'People look, let them. And they're looking at me, not you.'

At that moment the wizard who had been staring came up to them and offered Harry a piece of paper with a quill. Harry signed it and handed it back to the now blushing wizard who mumbled a 'thank you' and quickly walked away.

'Yeah,' Albus continued,' they're looking at Harry Potter and his disappointing son.'

'What is that supposed to mean?'

'At Harry Potter and his Slytherin son.'

At that moment James ran up, carrying his bag. 'Slythering Slytherin, stop with you dithering, time to get onto the train!' He rushed off to follow his own advice.

'Unnecessary, James!' Harry yelled after his oldest son.

James ignored the comment and just yelled back: 'See you at Christmas dad!'

Harry turned his attention back to Albus, looking concerned. 'Al-.'

'My name is Albus, not Al.'

Harry sighed. 'Albus. Are the other kids being unkind? Is that it? Maybe if you tried making a few more friends. Without Hermione and Ron I wouldn't have survived Hogwarts. Actually, I wouldn't have survived at all.'

'But I don't need a Ron and Hermione. I already have a friend: Scorpius. I know that you don't like him, but he's all I need.' He looked defiantly at his father.

Harry sighed. 'Look, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters to me.'

Albus nodded. 'You didn't need to bring me to the station though.' He picked up his case and hurried to the train.

'I wanted to be here,' said Harry softly, looking sadly at his son as he climbed on board. As he watched Lily jumping onto the train, a man entered his field of vision. He tensed up as he noticed the platinum blond hair and stern expression.

'Draco', he nodded stiffly.

'Potter,' came the equally stiff response. But then he deflated a bit as he looked down. 'I need a favor.'

Harry cocked his head, slightly surprised.

'These rumors, about my son's parentage, they don't seem to go away. The other students are making things hard for him, teasing him about it relentlessly. If the Ministry could release a statement reaffirming that all Time-Turners were destroyed in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries-'

'Just let it blow over Draco,' Harry sighed, 'they'll soon move on.'

Draco frowned. 'My son is suffering!' he said angrily. 'And Astoria,' he almost whispered now,' she hasn't been well recently. They need all the support they can get.' He looked Harry into the eyes, some spark of hope was there.

'If you answer the gossip, you feed the gossip,' Harry said sternly. 'There've been rumors about Voldemort having a child for years. Scorpius isn't the first to be accused. The ministry, for your sake as well as ours, needs to steer well clear.'

For a moment it seemed as if Draco was going to protest again, but then he sighed, shrugged and turned away, leaving the platform.

Harry looked back to the train, where he glimpsed Albus standing next to Rose, who was waving at her parents. Harry joined his best friends.

Inside the train, Albus turned to Rose. 'As soon as the train leaves you don't have to talk to me.'

'I know. We just need to keep the pretense up in front of the grown-ups.'

The train started to move as Scorpius came running up, dragging his suitcase behind him.

'Hi Rose,' he said, smiling shyly.

'By Albus,' said Rose, ignoring Scorpius and walking away briskly.

'She's melting,' said Scorpius, still smiling. Albus looked at his friend. 'You're daydreaming,' he mumbled. Scorpius just shook his head, but his smile remained.


End file.
